The small country of Guatemala is contributing positively to the advent of web 3.0? This panel will share some of the research and projects from Guatemalan Artificial Intelligence Scientists and how a small group of a few hundred young engineers have churned out dozens of prototypes and concepts for semantic web ontologies that solve real world problems and dilemmas. The prototypes combine Semantic searches and Semantic Databases which are the base of Web 3.0. One can argue that “it was not in vain” that the Ancient Mayan people of Guatemala are known to have been the pioneers in the use of “zero” amongst all the great World civilizations.

General theme of Web 3.0 to be covered by the panelists: The rapid growth and development of the Web has made it be unequally divided, ranging from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0, and even Web 4.0. Still today the main challenge is the “searching and presenting” of information. The explicit representation of the semantics underlying web resources will enable a knowledge-based web that provides a qualitatively new level of service. Automated services will one day assist humans in achieving their goals by "understanding" more of the content on the web and thus provide more accurate filtering, categorization, and search of information sources. Ontologies will play a key role.

Saturday 12th March 2011

by
Robert Martinez Lopez,
Arturo Garcia-Hernandez,
Francisco Valencia
and
David Schekaiban

Latin America is still behind the U.S. in Internet technology, but cyber crime has become a big issue in the region. In this session I will explain the growth of cyber crime in Mexico, including what drug cartels are doing, and discuss the lack of resources available in Mexico on how to combat cyber crime. Finally, I will discuss the example of start-up Hacking México, the first online information security and expert community formed to combat cybercrime, using online communication tools promoting computer forensics, research, education, and the use of technology such as bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, cryptography, telecommunications and cryptovirology, as well as efforts to combat cyber-drug trafficking.

Most Americans are not aware of the impact that the future of Mexico will have on the future of the United States. We too often perceive it as only a beach destination, and a dangerous, scary one at that. Much the same can be said about the rest of Latin America. Understanding Mexico is the gateway to understanding the balance of the Western Hemisphere. Political and economic journalists are absorbed with China, India, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But over the next 50-100 years, the people and businesses of the United States will be as affected by what happens in Mexico and Latin America as they will be by events on the other side of the globe. Likely more affected. The immigration debates on cable news are symptomatic, failing to probe political, cultural, and demographic realities. Latin America’s 900+ million people may have a very exciting future. How that future unfolds is at least in part up to us “Norte” Americans. In order to achieve the most prosperous and peaceful possible shared future, we need a deeper understanding of the people, culture, and geography of Mexico and Latin America. In my fast-paced presentation, I will hit upon key Mexican and Latin data and trends which will likely shape the future of the United States, focusing on Mexico as a first step in understanding. I will allow 15 minutes for questions and answers.

The Latin American startup scene is blowing up. From Guadalajara to Patagonia, there is an exponential growth of emerging technology ventures.

What inspired this new growth set off this explosion? A few trail-blazing tech and new media start-ups that cashed out big time. Companies, such as Brazilian shopping comparison site Buscapé’s $374M acquisition by Naspers, and ClanDescuento.com’s acquisition by Groupon, have proven that the inspired a start-up wave in Latin America is alive an kicking. that's making investors and even the U.S. technology press take notice.

In this panel, composed of some of Latin America’s top entrepreneurs, we’ll discuss the opportunities and challenges for startups in the region.

The advent of cheap technology that has enabled technical innovation on a scale never seen before.

The cultural shift away from the traditional Latin American hierarchical model towards a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation that has enabled this growth.
The historical lack of venture capital being allocated to the consumer web or technology sector, and what’s changing now.

How startups have adjusted to this reality by making their operations very lean and efficient and in some cases, aiming for and, in some cases, achieving their break even points quicker.

This session will be presented in SPANISH. Esta sesión será presentada en ESPAÑOL – Crisis de Comunicación en Internet en Latinoamérica. SXSW Latin America programming hashtag: #sxswLatAm
The Internet is a great place for people to exchange opinions and complain about the things they don’t like. Enterprises, brands and famous people are continuously exposed to consumer anger. This can sometimes escalate into a crisis for corporate as well as personal brands.
In this session I’ll try to define and explain what an online communication crisis is and what isn’t. I’ll provide examples of crises, including the most extreme cases, what to do after a crisis and suggestions for proactive actions to protect brands, companies, personal reputations, and how to facilitate conversations with people and consumers in case a crisis arises. My presentation is focused on Latin American companies and audiences, and explain the cultural differences in crisis communications between the U.S. and Latin American countries.
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Latin America has a history of revolutions, but the tide of social change that is approaching will dwarf those that came before. In Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, the digital divide between the traditional “haves and have-nots” is disappearing, essentially moving an entire class of people from economic despair toward a stable middle class. A digital middle class. And the rise of this digital middle class will have far-reaching implications beyond just that of marketing and even beyond the borders of Latin America. This new class will revolutionize the way you think of social interactions, and will redefine the playing field in our time.

One out of every four children born in the U.S. today is Hispanic. In Texas, Hispanics are the fastest growing portion of the population. In 2006, 35.7% of Texans were Hispanic, recent projections are even higher now.

So where are the Hispanics? Are Latinos online? Are they content producers? Are they technologists? Are they influencers? Or are they staying off line because of the digital divide?

Recent studies have shown us that the Hispanic community is growing exponentially in its online relevance and is in fact growing in not only consumption but development at rates faster and higher than those of its non-Hispanic US peers. We are online and we are a force to be reckoned with.

Our panel Latinas and Technology: Beauty, Brains and Blogging intends to explore five success stories of Latinas and their communities in this space. We will look at the numbers, the opportunities and five related case studies which show that Hispanics in the US are innovating online and thriving technologically as content producers, technologists and businesswomen, flexing their political and economic muscle online and offline.

The opportunities this presents for both the Hispanic community and those interested in engaging the growing Latino community are infinite. Come out and join us at Latinas and Technology: Beauty, Brains and Blogging and let's make sure our presence is known. Let's share what we've been able to do to date and where we are going!

The video game revolution is expanding all over the planet. In the past few years, Latin America became a huge market for both video game development and consumption. From companies like Electronic Arts and Vivendi, to homegrown companies like Three Melons, Latin American developers have created a local industry that is becoming one of the most notorious and fastest growing in the digital world.

We will discuss how some of these companies started, the secret to their success, their vision of the future, and everything that is happening today in the world of video games, online games, social games, etc.

[Session will be presented in ENGLISH. Sesión será presentada en INGLÉS - Redes Angeles en Latino America: Evolucion y Oportunidades Futuras. SXSW Latin America programming hashtag: #sxswLatAm] Latin America has never been considered a “hotbed” for venture capital. Yet as the technology entrepreneurial world continues to assess and recognize that Angels are really the investors responsible for the vast majority of Tech Startup successes, then the Latin American story becomes more relevant. Ever since “Angel networks” began to formalize themselves as such across the region only a decade ago, their growth and popularity has shot exponentially. Suddenly, Latin Americans involved in Technology and Entrepreneurship have realized that the funding mechanism for startups has actually been the “Angel model” in the vast majority of enterprises throughout its history. These transactions just happened to take place within closer circles of trust and the investors just weren’t called Angels.
This panel briefly explains the historical perspective that led to this late recognition of the term “Angel Investor” and then dives deeply into the tremendous growth, resources and future opportunities that lie in the majority of the 20+ markets that make up “Latin” America.
Panelists will be comprised of current leaders and members from Latin American Angel Networks, and will be moderated by a High Tech Entrepreneur who has been funded by Angels in both Latin America and the United States.

Unscheduled

This panel will present and discuss the innovative Gambiologia project, a collaborative work being done with the Graffiti Research Lab of Brazil. The gambiologists will articulate the concepts behind their project and the individual pieces. These pieces are generally produced by adapting and reinventing everyday materials, recycled industrial rubbish and electronics. Many of the pieces, which can be considered electronic artifacts, sculptures or decorative objects, incorporate LED displays, lamps, toys, sound generators, etc. All of these materials are then transformed into art under the concept of techno-cannibalism. The notion of “excess” is also a recurring concept in the gambiologists pieces. With their project, the group is artistically critiquing the massive production of devices and the accumulation of industrial disposables on the planet. The group critiques the world’s surplus of objects that are either out of use or outdated, yet accumulating. The gambiologists feel this is an important issue. Within a wider view, the term gambiologia has been adopted to refer to the science of gambiarra- people’s ability to relocate the functionality of materials of common use for practical objectives and/or distinct aesthetics far away from its original. Come learn how this project has utilized digital technologies, recycled rubbish and creativity for an artistic purpose. The Gambiologia project is being carried out by the artists Fred Paulino and Lucas Mafra.